Nykredit A S Takes $11.82 Million Position in Ferguson plc $FERG

Key Points

• Nykredit A/S acquired 49,811 Ferguson shares during the second quarter, worth approximately $11.82 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81.98% of the company.
• Analysts remain generally positive, with Ferguson receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $285.57; Barclays recently raised its target to $313.
• Ferguson exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $3.39 in EPS on $8.75 billion in revenue, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.89 per share, representing a 1.6% annualized yield.

Nykredit A S bought a new stake in Ferguson plc (NYSE:FERG - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 49,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,825,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ferguson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of Ferguson during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferguson in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its position in Ferguson by 123.4% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 143 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ferguson during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. 81.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FERG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Ferguson from a "hold" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $285.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ferguson from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ferguson from $297.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ferguson from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Ferguson from $285.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ferguson currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $285.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ferguson news, insider Jake Schlicher sold 5,177 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.92, for a total value of $1,195,472.84. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,490 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,191,430.80. The trade was a 35.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.15% of the company's stock.

Ferguson Stock Up 2.4%

Ferguson stock opened at $228.53 on Friday. Ferguson plc has a fifty-two week low of $207.64 and a fifty-two week high of $271.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.73. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $235.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.23. The stock has a market cap of $44.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.13.

Ferguson (NYSE:FERG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.23 by $0.16. Ferguson had a net margin of 6.82% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The firm had revenue of $8.75 billion during the quarter. Research analysts predict that Ferguson plc will post 11.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferguson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.89 per share. This represents a $3.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 21st. Ferguson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.83%.

About Ferguson

Ferguson NYSE: FERG is a multinational distributor specializing in plumbing and heating products and related building supplies, serving professional contractors, builders and industrial customers. The company supplies a broad range of products used in residential, commercial and infrastructure projects, including pipes and fittings, valves and controls, HVAC equipment, waterworks materials, plumbing fixtures, pumps and accessories, as well as complementary electrical and specialty product lines.

Ferguson operates a network of branches and distribution centers that provide inventory, logistics and value-added services to trade customers.

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